The producer of Sherlock, Hartswood Films, has acquired the rights to a fascinating book titled The Warlock Effect, which is a magic thriller set during the Cold War! There were several other production companies trying to land the rights to this book, because of how cool the story is!

The book was written by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman and it follows a magician who flees Nazi Germany and is lured into espionage. The book was recently released on Thursday.

The story centers on Ludvik Weinschenk, “a boy who escapes tyranny in Germany to become the most famous magician in 1950s Britain under the stage name Louis Warlock. His talent for deception attracts the attention of the British secret service and he is thrown into the world of espionage on a mission across Europe.”

Sue Vertue, Steven Moffat, and Brian Minchin will Executive Produce for Hartswood Films with Dyson and Nyman writing and acting as showrunners on the series.

Vertue said: “This book is a rollercoaster. A gorgeous period setting in the ‘50s with a very different kind of hero – plus magic and espionage and cliffhanger after cliffhanger. We couldn’t put it down – and when we make it, audiences won’t be able to switch it off.”

Here’s the description from he book:

As a boy, Ludvik Weinschenk fled Nazi Germany to England with a pack of playing cards and three tricks to his name. Twelve years later, in 1950s London, having risen through the ranks of concert parties, night clubs and variety theatres, Ludvik – or Louis Warlock as he is now known – is the most famous magician in Britain.

But after his talent for deception attracts the attention of the British secret service, Louis is thrown into the perilous world of espionage and finds himself sent across Europe with a dangerous mission to fulfil. When he comes face to face with a nemesis whose cunning rivals his own, Louis will need to use every trick in the book – or risk the most terrible consequences, both for the country and for himself.

Source: Deadline